From humanitarian assistance recipients to entrepreneurs

Growing up in Kiziba Refugee Camp, Iribagiza Nakabonye and her family from the Democratic Republic of Congo were heavily relying on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. Now, the 40-year-old woman who has been living in the camp since 1996, is inspiring self-reliance among the refugees and host communities through farming and selling foodstuffs.

“Venturing into small businesses has significantly changed my life,” Nakabonye says. “I no longer depend on humanitarian assistance. I am a proud entrepreneur whose activities benefit not only my family but also other refugees and our host community.”

At Kiziba refugee camp, located in Karongi District in the western part of Rwanda, the mother of seven works together with other four refugee women at ‘Best Future Women Company’, a venture they established a few years ago. They run a restaurant in the refugee camp and do farming activities in the neighbouring community as well.

 Their company supplies foods and beverages for various events and activities in the camp. They have also been growing maize and Irish potatoes over the last six years, on more than 3 hectares of land they leased.

As an example of how profitable their business is, Nakabonye says that in March and April 2021, Best Future Women Company secured a tender to supply lunch, snacks, and beverages, banking Frw 8 million (8000 USD) profit in just two months.

“We invested Rwf 5 million (5000 USD) and registered a turnover of Rwf 13 million (13000 USD) through supplying foods and beverages in two months. That’s not bad for us,” Nakabonye proudly shares.

They also play key role in promoting environmental protection and disaster risk reduction. The land in Karongi, where the Kiziba refugee camp is located is hilly and sloppy, and thus prone to soil erosion. Their farming activity, planting different crops in rotation, creating water channels and radical terraces are preventing landslides.